Adjustable door closing device



P 1953 G. w. SLOPA ET AL 2,651,074

ADJUSTABLE DOOR CLOSING DEVICE Filed Dec. 28, 1950 I N V EN TORS G'zansz W 5L oPA A T TOHNE Y Patented Sept. 8, 1953 OFFICE;

ADJUSTABLE DOOR CLOSING DEVICE George W. Slopa and Robert E. Slopa,

- Chicago, Ill.

Application December 28, 1950, Serial No. 203,108

2 Claims. 1

The invention relates to improvements in door closing devices and more particularly to a device for assisting a hingedly mounted door to swin into closed position and to hold said door in tight sealing engagement with its related door frame.

Refrigerators or other compartments requiring a tight closing of a hingedly mounted door are provided frequently with means to hold the door in tight sealing engagement with the door frame. Refrigerator doors and the like are heavy and often difiiculty is encountered in attemptin to swing the door into closed position especially when the sealing edges have become iced. These difilculties have been overcome in the past by the provision of various types of spring hinges or other devices designed to urge the door into its closed position. A spring controlled door closing device is preferably equipped with means to permit the tension of the sprin to be adjusted to accommodate the device with different installations and different service conditions.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a novelly constructed rugged door closing device embodying the necessary characteristics noted hereinabove.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring controlled door closing device with novelly constructed means to facilitate quick and accurate adjustment of the spring tension.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring controlled door closing device having adjustable tension means with novel means to hold the spring tensioned prior to and during installation of the device on the door and door frame and one which is automatically released upon initial operation of the device.

Another object is to provide a door closing device of the character described which isnot expensive to manufacture, is easy to install, simple to adjust, and positive and very efiicient in operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various chang s in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of our invention, we have illustrated in the 2 accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when 'considered in connection with the following description, our invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of it advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in'which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings: a

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a door and door frame or jamb showing the novel door closing device associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, partially broken away, of the back face of the door closing device.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section view taken substantially on 3-3 of the Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the disclosure in the accompanyin drawings, the door closing'device is to be firmly mounted on the door frame or jamb l0 adjacent to the hinged edge I I of the door l2. In the present illustration, the hinges have been omitted inasmuch as they do not constitute any part of the present invention. As shown, the door closing device includes a substantially rectangular cast housing l3 including sidewalls l4 and a front wall [5, top Wall [6 and, a bottom wall IT. ,The top and bottom walls are offset rearwardly as at [8, which areas are suitably apertured to receive mounting screw I 9 for firmly securing the housing 13 to the door frame or jamb l0.

A shaft 2 l extends longitudinally through the housing l3 and it is suitably journalled therein for free rotation in. bearing bosses 2'2 and 23 formed in the top and bottom walls l6 and [1, respectively. One end ofthe shaft 2| extends a considerable distance outwardly beyond the bearing boss 22' and is formed on its end with flat'surfaces 24 for accommodating a'lever- 25.

Upon referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the entire back face ofthe housing I3 is open and that the, shaft 2| extending therethrough has a collar 26 firmly mounted thereon, as bymeans of a pin 21. The collar 26 abuts the inside face of the bearing boss 23. to limit down-. ward movement of the shaft 2|. The upper extremity of the portion of the shaft 2!, within the housing I3, carries a notched element generally indicated at 23. This element includesfa hub 29 in abutment with the bottomiace of bearing boss 22 and an enlarged circular body portion 3| of a diameter to substantially occupy the entire cross-sectional area of the interior of housing l3. The circular body portion 3| is provided on its upper face with cut outs or notches 32 for a purpose to be described presently.

A coil spring 33 is arranged around the shaft 2| between the lower bearing boss 23 and the notched body portion 3|. One end of the spring 33 is anchored, as at 34, in the notched body portion 3| and the other end of said spring is anchored, at 35, in the bearing boss 23. It should be quite evident at this time that the spring 33 is adapted to be tensioned when the notched body 3| is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2.

Tensioning of the spring 33 may be accomplished by means of the lever .25, it being apparent that one end of said lever may be mounted on the non-circular shaft end 24 and swung in a counterclockwise direction so as to rotate said shaft. or course, a wrench or other tool may be used with equal effect. In :order to obtain the desired tension on the spring 33, it is, of course, obvious that the shaft 2 I, and the notched body 3| carried thereby, must be rotated a distance greater than that which can be accomplished by moving the lever or other tool through the limitsof rotation defined by the presence of the door and door frame. Accordingly,

means is provided to hold the shaft and its The means for holding the shaft and its notched body 3| in positions'of partial spring tensioning is best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Upon referring to these figures, it will be observed that the top wall |6 of the housing I3 is apertured to receive therethrough a lock-pin 36 having a head 31 on its outwardly extending end. A light compression spring 38 surrounds theportion of the lock-pin extending above the top wall Hi to normally urge said lock-pin into and hold it in an elevated position so as tolocate its lower end above the top surface of the notched body 3|. A cross-pin 39 or other means may be carried by the lock-pin 36 to prevent its complete withdrawal.

When the lock-pin 36 is in its elevated position the notched body 3| may be rotated, as by manipulation of the lever 25. When the lever 25 has reached the limit of its movement, the lockepin 36 is manually depressed to engage its lower end in one of the notches 32. The .lever 25 may be repositioned on the shaft and'again swung counterclockwise to further tension the spring 33. It should be quite evident that when the-lock-pinl'36 is engaged in one of the notches 32 it is held in such engagement, against the tension of its lifting spring '38, by frictional binding between said .pin and one wall of the engaged notch. This function is best illustrated inliig. 4. The lock-pin 36 is immediately released following .initial tensioning movement of the'lever 25 so that its liftingspring38 will carry it out .of the engaged notch 32 to permit the notched body3l tobe rotated the-predetermined distancewhereupon the lock-pin 36 isagain depressed toengage in the notch located .therebeneath.

The lever25 has been described hereinabove as the implement usedto tension the-springa33 following installation of the door closing device. This lever constitutes an integral partof the assembly and, as is best illustrated in Fig. 1, it carries on its free end a roller 4| adapted to bear against the face of the door 12 at all times. When the installation is completed, the lever 25 is firmly secured on the shaft 2| by means of a set screw 42 and it may be readily removed from and reset on the shaft when additional tensioning from the spring 33 is indicated.

The construction of the door closing device described hereinabove is unique because of the rugged construction of the parts and the small number of parts required in its assembly. The .means for readily locking the notched body 3| also constitutes an innovation particularly because said locking member is automatically released when tension is aplied to the spring 33 either during a manual tensioning operation or be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable ofwide variation within the purview of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

What weclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A door closing device comprising, incombination, an elongatedhousing having an unbroken front wall, side walls and end walls, said end walls having apertures to receive mounting screws for mounting the housing on a wall surface adjacent to a door opening having a door associated therewith for closing the. opening, said end walls having aligned bearing passages, a shaft extending through and journalled near its ends in said bearing passages, a notched element'in said housingcarried fixedly on saidshaft adjacent one end wall, a torsion spring surrounding the shaftportion withinthe housing having one end anchored to thenotched element and its other end anchored to the other end wall, a lever engageable with the shaft to rotate said shaft so as to tension said spring, 'a lock pin mounted permanently in the housing wall adjacent to said notched element and movable into engagement with the'notched element to hold the spring tensioned during manipulation of thelever for-the;purpose oftensioning the spring, and a-lift spring cooperating with the pin to-cause it to become disengaged from .thenotched element-whentension is maintained by said lever when the latter is positioned to bear against the door.

-2. A door closing device comprising, in'combination, an elongated housinghaving an unbroken front wall, side walls and end walls, said-end walls having apertures to receive mounting screws for mounting the housing one. wall surface adjacent to a-door opening having a door associated therewithfor closingthe opening, said end walls having aligned bearingpassages, a shaft extending through andjournalled near its ends in said bearing passages, anotched element in said housing carried fixedly on said shaftradja cent oneend walL-a torsion spring surrounding the shaft portion within-the housing having one 5 end anchored to the notched element and its other end anchored to the other end Wall, a lever engageable with the shaft to rotate said shaft so as to tension said spring, a lock pin mounted permanently in the housing wall adjacent to said notched element and movable longitudinally of the housing into engagement with the notched element to hold the spring tensioned during manipulation of the lever for the purpose of tensioning the spring, and a lift spring cooperating with the pin to cause it to become disengaged from the notched element when tension is maintained by said lever when the latter is positioned to bear against the door.

GEORGE W. SLOPA. ROBERT E. SLOPA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

